#9
“Oh, the call went through? I was shocked when you didn’t answer—thought I dialed the wrong number. Pick up quickly next time.”
As if he’d never been out of reach, the second call connected faster than light. When Hajun joked that he was calling to check if Imun had given him a fake number, Imun burst into laughter.
While chatting for a long time with his body leaned against the chair, Hajun realized he no longer needed to stay fixed in front of the computer.
He turned off the monitor and tower, cleaning up as he listened to the phone speaker. There was a faint sound of things being put away, suggesting Imun was also preparing to leave his room.
“It feels… strange… talking to you on the phone like this.”
“I know. But it’s much better than being stuck at a desk.”
“Where are you right now? Your room?”
“I just came out to the living room. Going to the kitchen for some water.”
The sound of dishes clinking. Water pouring into a cup. Even as he tiptoed back to his bedroom to avoid waking his grandmother, lively sounds of domestic life continued through the phone.
Hajun could clearly picture what the other was doing, making him smile.
“What are you doing, hyung?”
“I’m in bed now. Going to sleep.”
“You always turn in so early.”
“Yeah. My body gets really tired if I stay up past midnight.”
Where was he now? The bathroom? The balcony? While imagining based on the sounds Imun was making, Hajun rubbed his eyes slightly. Truth was, he’d been getting sleepy for a while.
“I should get to bed now. Let’s keep in touch often from now on.”
“Sure, hyung. Sleep well.”
“You go to bed soon too. Don’t overdo anything, and make sure to take care of your health.”
“…Yes. And hyung, don’t wait for me anymore… just contact me this way when you’re bored.”
Even after hanging up, the emptiness lingered for a while. “Don’t wait, when you’re bored contact me this way…” He muttered the same words several times while staring at the profile in his messenger.
A relationship where they could contact each other anytime, not just for games. This upgraded relationship was extremely satisfying. Those anxious days of not knowing his whereabouts felt like a dream, even though it was just this morning. Though nothing had changed, he couldn’t help but click on his profile one more time.
***
After exchanging contact information, his relationship with Imun progressed rapidly. Knowing Imun was focused on studying, Hajun hesitated to call carelessly. Instead, he sent messages as naturally as breathing—while eating, cleaning, or whenever thoughts of Imun crossed his mind.
Imun wasn’t particularly quick to respond, but he seemed to make an effort to reply within an hour or two when contacted. Also, as if recognizing Hajun’s consideration, he occasionally asked if Hajun wanted to talk on the phone.
Times when both were holding their phones and able to call weren’t very common. But once a call connected, they would talk for hours.
The more Hajun learned about Imun’s daily life, the more surprised he became. His schedule was so tightly packed that it immediately explained why he couldn’t play games.Â
He attended more than three academies, and what little free time he had seemed devoted to self-improvement. People around him apparently had high expectations—Hajun was momentarily stunned when he heard Imun had to graduate school at the top of his class.
‘What are you…? Is your dream to become president or something?’
‘Haha. Of course not. Don’t most college students these days… do at least this much?’
Imun, who brushed off Hajun’s serious question with laughter, was an almost foolishly diligent student.
If he was this busy now, he would be even busier once he entered a boarding academy. It seemed the only way they could play together like before was to pray for Imun to get a job as soon as possible.
Should I buy him a charm? While thinking about a nearby shrine known for helping with exam success, he felt his grandmother’s sharp gaze. She seemed quite irritated by how he kept glancing at his phone throughout the meal.
Hajun subtly placed his phone between his knees and watched for her reaction. He couldn’t completely ignore it since Imun’s reply was due soon. As if speaking of the devil summons him, a welcome vibration sounded just as he was thinking about Imun.
Today’s my lucky day. It seemed Imun would be able to call soon. When Hajun stopped mechanically moving his spoon and excitedly exchanged KaTok messages, his grandmother narrowed her eyes conspicuously.
“Is it Mari?”
“No, a friend.”
After pretending to clean her ear with her finger, she asked, “What did you say?” The momentary awkwardness he felt at her gesture, assuming she must have misheard, reminded him how limited his social circle really was.
“Really, it’s a friend.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’m going to talk with him for a bit.”
While glancing at his grandmother’s gloomy expression, Imun’s call came through.
“Hey, Imun.”
“What are you doing, hyung?”
Beyond the cheerful voice, he heard another male voice calling, “Hyung!” The surroundings seemed quite noisy, as if Imun was with other people.
“Just a moment.” The noise gradually decreased as if he was urgently moving to another location. Soon, with the sound of a door closing, Imun let out a faint sigh.
“I was having breakfast. But who was that calling you?”
“Haha, don’t worry about it. It’s the roommate I mentioned before.”
His apartment friends, perhaps. Imun lived apart from his family with college roommates. Living with three friends in one house, and for years at that—it seemed like every day would be a war just imagining it.
“What are you eating?”
“Just grilled mackerel my grandmother made at home…”
As he slightly stood up to return to his room, his grandmother shot him a fierce look. “What?” He was mouthing to her in an awkward stance when it happened.
“Is that really your friend? Let me hear his voice.”
“What… that’s ridiculous…”
The sudden request was incredibly embarrassing. He shook his head saying absolutely not, but as always, he was no match for his grandmother.
Time passed relentlessly while he argued with her. It seemed better to just let her hear Imun’s voice briefly to put her mind at ease.
“Imun…”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Well, I… this is weird to say, but I don’t have many friends. So my grandmother worries about me a lot.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Imun burst into laughter. While Hajun’s face burned with embarrassment, Imun playfully asked, “So?”
“…She’s wondering if my call is really with a friend. Can I put you on speakerphone for a moment? My grandmother doesn’t understand Korean at all, so she won’t know what we’re saying.”
“Haha, sure. Go ahead.”
Having successfully obtained Imun’s permission, he placed the phone on the table. “This is the first and last time!” Ignoring his words, his grandmother leaned toward the table. Her desire to hear Imun’s voice as clearly as possible was obvious.
Just as Hajun was about to urge her to respond, Imun’s low voice resonated through the kitchen. “Is your grandmother listening right now?” As soon as he finished his sentence, his grandmother’s slightly widened eyes in surprise was somewhat within the expected range.
Imun does have a nice voice. Though he’d gotten used to it now, his ears had tingled strangely when they first started using Discodi. The voice that peculiarly stimulated human eardrums was definitely something to boast about.
“Yeah, she’s listening well.” After replying to Imun a beat late and looking at his grandmother as if to say “see?”, it happened.
“Hello, Grandmother.” In Japanese.
What’s going on? Following the greeting, Imun continued speaking to his grandmother. For a moment, Hajun felt like everything he was hearing was an auditory hallucination. That’s because Imun was actually speaking Japanese. Though not quite at a native level, his pronunciation was decent enough not to sound awkward.
While frozen stiff like an ice pillar and staring blankly at his grandmother, she seemed to grasp the situation before him and opened her mouth with a mischievous smile.
“Hello. Are you Junnie’s friend?”
“Yes, hello. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too. As you know, Junnie is very shy… When he said he was talking with a friend, I couldn’t help but get curious and made this thoughtless request.”
“Haha. It’s fine. I’m sorry for calling when you two were having a meal.”
The way he smoothly continued the conversation didn’t seem like someone who had learned the language for just a year or two. Even as Hajun remained in shock, their conversation continued.
Wait, something’s off. While listening to the call with a muddled mind, he felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort. As he pondered the cause of this mysterious sensation, a second shock hit him hard.
Imun was comfortably leading the conversation with his grandmother. Hajun had thought he was someone lacking social skills like himself, but he was completely wrong.
As his grandmother’s laughter filled the living room, Hajun finally regained his senses and raised his voice in a fluster.
“Hey, what’s going on! Did you know Japanese all along?”
“Ah… Doesn’t everyone learn it in high school?”
“Well… maybe? But even so, most people can’t speak it that well… right?”
“…I was interested, so I studied more on my own.”
His grandmother snorted, apparently displeased by the conversation switching to Korean. Pretending not to notice, Hajun quickly took the phone off speaker mode and spoke urgently.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
